Reservation and admission of access resources for access selection in multi-access networks

ABSTRACT

A multi-resource management entity is described herein which optimizes access to at least one access network that is located in a multi-access network environment by performing the following steps: (a) obtaining information about a potentially required access resource of one of the at least one access networks; (b) determining that more than a certain number of user networks may potentially use the access resource to establish a connection with the one access network; (c) obtaining information indicating an availability of the access resource; and (d) limiting a number of the user networks that may potentially access the access resource in view of the obtained availability information.

CLAIMING BENEFIT OF PRIOR FILED PCT APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of PCT Patent Application No.PCT/EP2006/068529 which was filed on Nov. 15, 2006 the contents of whichare hereby incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to methods, devices and computer programsthat optimize access in a multi-access communications networkenvironment.

BACKGROUND

The following terms and abbreviations are herewith defined, at leastsome of which are referred to within the following description of thebackground and the present invention.

AAA Authentication, Authorization and Accounting AN Ambient Network ARMAccess Resource Manager AS Active Set CDMA Code-Division Multiple AccessCS Candidate Set DS Detected Set E-UTRAN Evolved UMTS Terrestrial RadioAccess Network GERAN GSM EDGE Radio Access Network GLL Generic LinkLayer GSM Global System for Mobile Communications HSPA High-Speed PacketAccess LTE Long Term Evolution (for 3G) MRM Multi-Resource ManagementMRRM Multi-Radio Resource Management RNC Radio Network Controller RRMRadio Resource Management UMTS Universal Mobile TelecommunicationsSystem UTRAN UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network VS Validated Set xDSLx Digital Subscriber Line UN User Network WLAN Wireless Local AreaNetwork

Ambient Networks (AN) is an integrated project that is sponsored by theEuropean Union's 6th Framework Programme (seehttp://www.ambient-networks.org). The AN project has a goal of providingscalable and affordable wireless networking in an environment which ispopulated by a multitude of user devices, wireless technologies, networkoperators and business actors. For instance, the AN project has a goalof enabling a user network to use one or more access systems to connectto a remote communications network. One way that this goal can besatisfied and also be applied to existing communication systems is thesubject of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a block diagram of an exemplarycommunication system 100 within which there are multiple user networks102 a, 102 b . . . 102 n each of which utilize one more access systems104 a, 104 b . . . 104 n to connect to a remote communications network106. Each user network 102 a, 102 b . . . 102 n is shown to be a singledevice, e.g. a user terminal like a mobile phone or a computer, withaccess capability provided by one reconfigurable access system ormultiple access systems 104 a, 104 b . . . 104 n. Alternatively, theuser networks 102 a, 102 b . . . 102 n can be an interconnection ofmultiple nodes, like for example a personal area network or a movingnetwork within a vehicle, where the access capabilities are provided bythe different nodes. The access systems 104 a, 104 b . . . 104 n can beeither a wireless access system such as GSM, UMTS, UTRAN, E-UTRAN,GERAN, HSPA, LTE, WiMAX, WLAN, Bluetooth, etc. . . . and/or a fixedaccess system such as Ethernet, CableModem, xDSL, fiber, etc. . . . .The availability and capabilities of the individual access systems 104a, 104 b . . . 104 n can vary over time, e.g. due to movement of theuser network 102 a, 102 b . . . 102 n, changes in the load of the accesssystems 104 a, 104 b . . . 104 n, etc.

As shown, each user network 102 a, 102 b . . . 102 n has many differenttypes of possible access connections 108 which can exist with multipleaccess systems 110 a, 110 b . . . 110 n that are associated with theremote communication network 106 (or multiple remote communicationsnetworks 106 where some access connections 108 belong to one remotecommunication network 106 and other access connections 108 belong toother remote communication networks 106). Each user network 102 a, 102 b. . . 102 n needs to be able to select one or more of these possibleaccess connections 108 to establish one or more communication sessionswith the remote communications network 106 (or multiple remotecommunications networks 106). In accordance with the AN project, eachuser network 102 a, 102 b . . . 102 n has a processor 112 that uses aMRRM entity 114 and a GLL entity 116 (or multiple GLL entities whichcorrespond with the multiple access systems) to perform this accessselection and to help establish the communication session(s) with theremote communications network 106 (or multiple remote communicationsnetworks 106). To accomplish this, each MRRM entity 114 maintains anumber of different access sets (which are stored in memory 118) thathave been classified as follows:

-   -   Detected Set (DS): is the set of possible access connections 108        that are detected by the respective user network 102 a, 102 b .        . . 102 n.    -   Validated Set (VS): is the set of detected access connections        that have been validated by policy functions.    -   Candidate Set (CS): is the set of suitable access connections        108 selected from the validated set that can be used for a        particular data bearer to the remote communications network 106.    -   Active Set (AS): is the set of access connections 108 selected        from the candidate set which are used for a particular data        bearer that has been established with the remote communications        network 106. In the examples hereinafter, the AS contains one        access connection 108 which is currently being used as a data        bearer to the remote communications network 106.        Note 1: The AS can be further divided into MRRM AS and GLL AS        however this separation is not relevant to the present        discussion.        Note 2: Each user network 102 a, 102 b . . . 102 n has one DS        and one VS, but they can be multiple CSs and ASs (indicated by        CS_(i) and AS_(i) when appropriate) because a single CS and a        single AS exists for every data bearer, which can transport        either user or control data. For instance, a first CS and AS may        exist for a speech transmission which requires a low bandwidth        while a second CS and AS may be exist for a video stream which        requires a high bandwidth. Typically DS⊃ VS⊃CS_(i) ⊃AS_(i)        although this definition is not strictly true in the        mathematical sense: a DS contains “possible access connections”        (or access resources), the AS contains “access connections”, and        the VS/CS can contain either one or the other (the difference        between access resources and access connections is discussed in        detail below with respect to FIGS. 6-8).        Note 3: The exemplary remote communications network 106 shown        includes two separate nodes 118 a and 118 b each of which has a        base station/radio access controller 120 a and 120 b. In        addition, the exemplary remote communications network 106        includes a single MRRM entity 124 and two GLL entities 126 a and        126 b. If desired, the MRRM entity 124 could be co-located        within one of the access systems 110 a, 110 b . . . 110 n. Each        access system 110 a, 110 b . . . 110 n is shown to have a RRM        111 a, 111 b . . . 111 n the function of which is to manage        access resources as will be discussed later in this document. If        desired, the MRRM entity 124 could be located in a core network        such as for example an evolved packet core that is standardized        in 3GPP mobile packet telecommunications networks. Plus, the GLL        entities 126 a and 126 b could each be divided into multiple GLL        entities with one GLL entity for each access system 110 a, 110 b        . . . 110 n.        Note 4: A detailed discussion about the AN project is provided        in the following documents (the contents of which are hereby        incorporated by reference):    -   Ambient Networks, “Multi-Radio Access Architecture”, Project        Deliverable D2-4, December 2005.    -   Ambient Networks, “Multi-Radio Access Architecture”, Project        Deliverable D2-2, January 2005.    -   Ambient Networks, “Ambient Network Security”, Project        Deliverable D7-2, December 2005, (also Annex II of the        deliverable).

Each user network 102 a, 102 b . . . 102 n and in particular theirrespective MRRM entity 114 and GLL entity 116 function to determine andmaintain the possible access connection (s) 108 which can be used toestablish the communication session (s) with the remote communicationsnetwork 106 (or multiple remote communications networks 106). Basically,each GLL entity 116 functions to monitor and observe the availability,capabilities and characteristics of each possible access connections 108with the remote communications network 106 (or multiple remotecommunications networks 106). Then, the corresponding MRRM entity 114uses this information to determine/validate which of the possible accessconnections 108 are to be admitted into the DS (in this example it isassumed that all of the possible access connections 108 are added to theDS). Thereafter, the MRRM entity 114 uses policy functions (e.g.,security functions, compensation functions, local policies, remotepolicies) to determine which of the possible access connections 108within the DS are to be admitted into the VS. Next, the MRRM entity 114upon receiving a bearer request determines which of the possible accessconnections 108 within the VS are to be admitted into the CS. Lastly,the MRRM entity 114 determines which of the possible access connections108 within the CS are to be placed in the AS and used as data bearer (s)for the communication session (s) with the remote communications network106. A more detailed discussion about this process is provided next withrespect to FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is illustrated a diagram which is used tohelp explain how one user network 102 a (for example) and in particulartheir MRRM entity 114 and GLL entity 116 is able to determine andmaintain the possible access connection(s) 108 which can be used toestablish the communication session(s) with the remote communicationsnetwork 106 (or multiple remote communications networks 106). Basically,the GLL entity 116 functions to monitor and observe the availability,capabilities and characteristics of each of the possible accessconnections 108 with the remote communications network 106 (or multipleremote communications networks 106). For instance, the GLL entity 116can conduct quality measurements on the possible access connections 108by measuring the field strength of a beacon signal and/or by measuringthe possible bandwidth/access load based on broadcast information. Then,the GLL entity 116 reports this information to the MRRM entity 114 (seedashed lines indicated by numerals 202 a, 202 b and 202 c). Further,this information does not need to be retrieved from the broadcastinformation but instead it could be obtained from dedicated messages(e.g., after network attachment (discussed below) or via an alreadyattached access). Alternatively, the MRRM entity 114 can obtaininformation/parameters which are signaled from other entities, likee.g., the MRRM entity 124 within the remote network 106.

As shown, the MRRM entity 114 has an access detection function 204 whichuses access discovery/monitoring information 202 a (received from theGLL entity 116) to determine which of the possible access connections108 are to be admitted into the DS (in this example it is assumed thatall of the possible access connections 108 are added to the DS). TheMRRM entity 114 also has a first access control function 206 thatdetermines which of the possible access connections 108 in the DS are tobe added to the VS. In particular, the MRRM entity 114 implements thefirst access control function 206 which interacts with a policy function208 (associated with processor 112) to obtain policy constraints 209 a(e.g., security functions, compensation functions, local policies) andthen uses this policy information 209 a to determine/validate which ofthe possible access connections 508 from the DS are to be admittedwithin the VS.

In addition, the MRRM entity 114 has a second access control function210 which upon receiving a data bearer request 212 which defines theservice requirements from a bearer management function 214 (associatedwith processor 112) functions to interact with the policy function 208to obtain policy constraints 209 b and then uses this information alongwith the access performance/characteristics information 202 b (receivedfrom the GLL entity 116) to determine which of the possible accessconnections 108 within the VS are to be admitted into the CS. In otherwords, the MRRM entity 114 implements the second access control function210 and determines which of the possible access connections 108 withinthe VS could be placed within the CS and then possibly used ascommunication bearer (s) with the remote communications network 106.Alternatively, this procedure can be triggered by other events besidesreceiving the data bearer request 212 like, for instance, this procedurecould be triggered when the GLL 116 detects a new AR 108 or when thereis a change in the performance/characteristics of the monitored ARs 108.This process is performed for each communications session (e.g., datasession) which means that there can be multiple CSs. And, the accessconnections 108 which are placed within anyone of the CSs depends on therequirements of the particular data bearer (e.g., the quality ofservice, required security, acceptable amount of costs etc. . . . ) andto what extent these requirements can be satisified by the accesssystems 104 a, 104 b . . . 104 n. Also, the policy constraints 209 b candictate or restrict which of the access connections 108 can be admittedto the CSs.

Furthermore, the MRRM entity 114 has an access selection function 216which interacts with the policy function 208 to obtain policyconstraints 209 c and then uses this information along with the accessperformance/characteristics information 202 c (received from the GLLentity 116) to determine which of the possible access connections 108within the CS are to be used as data bearer(s) for the communicationsession(s) with the remote communications network 106 (note: anyone ofthe policy constraints 209 a, 209 b and 209 c could alternatively bee.g., pushed or transmitted from any one of the access networks 110 a,110 b . . . 110 n). In other words, the MRRM entity 114 implements theaccess selection function 216 to determine which one of the possibleaccess connections 108 in the CS is to be placed in the AS and actuallyused as a communication bearer in a communication session that isestablished with the remote communications network 106. Typically, theaccess connection 108 which is best suited to be used for a particularcommunication session (e.g., data bearer) is selected from the CS to beplaced within the AS. There are different types of access selectionalgorithms which can be used for this selection, e.g. an algorithm whichchooses the particular access connection 108 that best matches the datasession requirements, an algorithm which chooses the particular accessconnection 108 which has resources that are used most efficiently, analgorithm which chooses the particular access connection 108 based ontransmission costs, or various combinations of such strategies. Moregenerally, this AS selection can be seen as an optimization with respectto a certain cost or utility function.

In each of the access systems 104 a, 104 b . . . 104 n, the basicconnectivity element that is associated with the possible accessconnection(s) 108 is called an access resource (AR). An AR is a resourcewhich could be used for establishing connectivity and transmitting data(note: the RRMs 111 a, 111 b . . . 111 n manage the ARs). Examples of anAR include frequency bands/sub carriers, time slots, CDMA codes,transmit power, interference headroom and connection identifiers. An ARcan be identified by an AR identity which can be composed of the id ofthe resource owner such as the network id and a resource specific idsuch as a cell id in a wireless access system. For instance, the ARidentity could be {network id; access type; resource id}. In addition,the AR can be further characterized by AR-relatedinformation/AR-descriptor, such as total/occupied/available resources,resource costs, efficiency of the resource usage like asignal-to-noise-and-interference ratio. Basically, the AR corresponds tothe underlying physical resources which are associated with the specificaccess system, e.g. for a UMTS cell it may correspond to availablepower, a certain number of codes, etc. . . . .

The other connectivity element in the access systems 104 a, 104 b . . .104 n is the logical connection (LC) (also known as access flow (AF)).The access system 104 a, 104 b . . . 104 n establishes the LC with theother access system 110 a, 110 b . . . 110 n based on the correspondingaccess resource. For the establishment of a LC, identifiers (sometimescalled locators) for that LC are created in the terminating accesssystems 104 a, 104 b . . . 104 n and 110 a, 110 b . . . 110 n. The setupof the LC can include: (1) reserving radio resources for the LC; (2)performing AAA procedures; (3) establishing LC security associations;and (4) negotiating LC usage policies. Basically, the AR provides thecapability to establish the connectivity and the LC is the data beareron which data could be transmitted.

The establishment of a LC (based on access resources) is referred to asnetwork attachment. FIGS. 3-5 illustrate three exemplary signal flowdiagrams 300, 400 and 500 which are provided to indicate that there is alot of signaling associated with establishing a network attachment. InFIG. 3, the signal flow diagram 300 shows an example of an attachment ofa device to a cellular access system (e.g., the 3GPP LTE systemdescribed in 3GPP TR 23.882 V.1.2.3 (June 2006)). In FIG. 4, the signalflow diagram 400 shows an example of an attachment of a device to a WLANnetwork (the signaling shown includes link attachment, authentication,authorization, establishment of a security association for encryptionand integrity protection, and IP address assignment). In FIG. 5, thesignal flow diagram 500 shows an improved network attachment procedurewhich was developed by the AN project to help enable seamlessconnections between systems like the ones shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Thesesignal flow diagrams 300, 400 and 500 are well known to those skilled inthe art and have only been provided herein to indicate that it takes alot of time and resources to change an AR into a LC.

The user networks 102 a, 102 b . . . 102 n have different levels ofconnectivity that are established in the different phases DS-VS-CS-AS ofaccess selection and as a consequence the types of elements managedwithin the DS, VS, CS and AS can vary as discussed next with respect toFIGS. 6-8. FIG. 6 shows a user network 102 a (for example) thatcurrently has a DS, VS and CS that contain ARs and an AS that contains aLC. In FIG. 7 there is a user network 102 b (for example) shown whichhas a DS and VS that contains ARs and a CS and AS that contains LCs.While, FIG. 8 shows a user network 102 n (for example) that currentlyhas a DS which contains ARs, a VS and CS that contains ARs and LCs, andan AS which contains a LC. The pros and cons of these differentscenarios are described in the aforementioned PCT Patent Application No.PCT/EP2006/068529 (note: the VS was not discussed in this documenthowever many of the pros and cons of the different scenarios are stillrelevant).

Unfortunately, there is a problem in the foregoing state of art whichconcerns the ARs contained within the VS or CS of the various usernetworks 102 a, 102 b . . . 102 n. Basically, the user networks 102 a,102 b . . . 102 n can all monitor the same AR and have it included intheir VS and CS which means that this particular AR can be consideredand evaluated for access selection by multiple user networks 102 a, 102b . . . 102 n. This situation can be problematic because a large numberof these user networks 102 a, 102 b . . . 102 n may try to access the ARin a short time period which may lead to an overload of the AR, afailure of the connection establishment, or a failure of the accessselection procedure. Thus, there is a need to address this problem andthis need and other needs are satisfied by the present invention.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the present invention provides a multi-resourcemanagement entity which implements a method comprising the steps of: (a)obtaining information about a potentially required access resource ofone access network; (b) determining that more than a certain number of auser networks may potentially use the access resource to establish aconnection with the one access network; (c) obtaining informationindicating an availability of the access resource; and (d) limiting anumber of the user networks that may potentially access the accessresource in view of the obtained availability information. The limitingof the number of user networks that may potentially access the accessresource is a marked-improvement over the state of art where a largenumber of the user networks could try to access the same access resourcein a short time period which may lead to an overload of the accessresource, a failure of the connection establishment, or a failure of theaccess selection procedure.

In another aspect, the present invention provides an access resourcemanaging entity which implements a method comprising the steps of: (a)obtaining information from a multi-resource managing entity where theinformation is related to a potentially required access resource thatmay be used by one or more user networks; (b) checking the availabilityof the potentially required access resource; (c) sending a reportcontaining availability information back to the multi-resource managingentity. The multi-resource managing entity upon receiving the report isnow able to limit the number of the user networks that may potentiallyaccess the access resource. The limiting of the number of user networksthat may potentially access the access resource is a marked-improvementover the state of art where a large number of the user networks couldtry to access the same access resource in a short time period which maylead to an overload of the access resource, a failure of the connectionestablishment, or a failure of the access selection procedure.

Additional aspects of the invention will be set forth, in part, in thedetailed description, figures and any claims which follow, and in partwill be derived from the detailed description, or can be learned bypractice of the invention. It is to be understood that both theforegoing general description and the following detailed description areexemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the inventionas disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Amore complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained byreference to the following detailed description when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communication system which is used tohelp explain how user networks with one more access systems canestablish communication session(s) with a remote communications network(or multiple remote communications networks);

FIG. 2 is a diagram which is used to help explain how a user network (inparticular an MRRM entity and a GLL entity) determines and maintainspossible access connection(s) which can be used to establish thecommunication session(s) with the remote communications network(s)

FIGS. 3-5 are three exemplary signal flow diagrams which are provided toindicate that it takes a lot of signaling to establish a networkattachment (logical connection) between a user network and a remotecommunications network;

FIG. 6 is a diagram which is used to show that the user network canmaintain a VS set and CS set which contains only ARs for the possibleaccess connections to the remote communications network(s);

FIG. 7 is a diagram which is used to show that the user network canmaintain a VS set which contains only ARs while the CS set contains onlyLCs for the possible access connections to the remote communicationsnetwork(s);

FIG. 8 is a diagram which is used to show that the user network canmaintain a VS set and a CS set that can contain either ARs or LCs forthe possible access connections to the remote communications network(s);

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an exemplary communication system which isused to help explain how user networks with one or more access systemscan establish communication session(s) with remote communicationsnetwork(s) in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 10A is a signal flow diagram which is used to help explain thesteps of a method for optimizing access in a multi-access networkenvironment in accordance with a first embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 10B is a signal flow diagram which is used to help explain thesteps of a method for optimizing access in a multi-access networkenvironment in accordance with a second embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIGS. 11A-11C are several diagrams of an exemplary MRRM and an exemplaryARM associated with a remote communication network which are used tohelp explain another method for optimizing access in a multi-accessnetwork environment in accordance with a third embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIGS. 12A-12C are several diagrams of an exemplary MRRM and an exemplaryARM associated with a remote communication network which are used tohelp explain one way that different components can be incorporatedtherein to implement the method discussed with respect to FIGS. 11A-11Cin accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 9, there is shown a block diagram of an exemplarycommunication system 900 within which there are multiple user networks902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n each of which utilize one more access systems904 a, 904 b . . . 904 n to connect to one or more remote communicationnetworks 906 in accordance with the present invention. The communicationsystem 900 has basically the same components and basically the samefunctionality as the communication system 100 except that the remotecommunication network 906 and in particular the MRM entity 924 and ARMs911 a, 911 b . . . 911 n located therein implement a method 1000 tosolve the aforementioned problem where too many user networks 902 a, 902b . . . 902 n can monitor and try to access the same AR a short timeperiod which could lead to an overload of the AR, a failure of theconnection establishment, or a failure of the access selection procedure(note: the ARMs 911 a, 911 b . . . 911 n could also be referred to asRRMs and the MRM entities 914 and 924 could also be referred to as MRRMentities 914 and 924 since this is a wireless access example).Basically, the MRM entity 924 upon implementing method 1000 would keep alist of ARs which are used in the VSs and/or CSs of different usernetworks 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n. If a specific AR is in more than acertain number of VSs/CSs in the user networks 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n,then the MRM entity 924 interacts with the corresponding ARM 911 b (forexample) which manages that particular AR to ask if sufficient resourcesof the AR are available to be used by this many user networks 902 a, 902b . . . 902 n. If no, then the MRM entity 924 limits the number of usernetworks 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n that may include that particular AR intheir VSs/CSs. A detailed description is provided next about severaldifferent exemplary embodiments of method 1000.

Referring to FIG. 10A, there is a signal flow diagram which is used tohelp explain the steps of a method 1000 a for optimizing access in amulti-access network environment in accordance with a first embodimentof the present invention. The signal flow diagram has the followingsteps:

1. The ARM 911 b (for example) within the remote communications network906 sends an AR2 report (access resource report) to the GLL entity 916located within the user network 902 a (in this case a mobile terminal902 a).

2. The GLL entity 916 forwards the AR2 report to the MRM entity 914located within the user network 902 a.

3. The MRM entity 914 updates the DS set.

4. The MRM entity 914 sends an AR2 report to the policy function 930located within the user network 902 a.

5-6. The policy function 930 accesses the appropriate validate policiesand forwards the policy constraints to the MRM entity 914.

7-8. The MRM entity 914 based on the received policy constraints can banthe AR2 and send a ban AR2 signal to the GLL entity 916 (see step 7).Or, the MRM entity 914 based on the received policy constrains canpermit the AR2. In this case, the MRM entity 914 performs the following:(a) update VS; (b) check if AR2 is suitable for CSs and update CSsaccordingly; and (c) if CSs have changed, re-evaluate ASs accordingly.Then, the MRM entity 914 sends an AR2 report and matching VSs/CSs to theMRM entity 924 located within the remote communications network 906 (seestep 8).

9. The MRM entity 924 forwards the received AR2 report to a policyfunction 932 within the remote communications network 906.

10-11. The policy function 932 accesses the validate policies andforwards the policy constraints to the MRM entity 924.

12. The MRM entity 924 validates the number of user networks 902 a, 902b . . . 902 n with AR2 included or requested to be included within theVSs/CSs and updates the VSs/CSs accordingly.

13-14. The MRM entity 924 determines if the number of user networks 902a, 902 b . . . 902 n with AR2 included or requested to be includedwithin the VSs/CSs is larger than a threshold. If yes, the MRM entity924 sends a report indicating the number of user networks 902 a, 902 b .. . 902 n (and possibly their bearer requirements) which have the AR2 intheir VSs/CSs to the ARM 911 b. If not, then the MRM entity 924 operatesas normal.

The ARM 911 b can also receive additional information from the MRMentity 924 in step 14 such as (for example): (1) an instruction as towhich AR or sub-fractions to pre-reserve; (2) information about thepotentially required AR such that the access resource management entitymay be adapted to derive information for the pre-reservation step; (3)information about a fraction of the potentially required AR exceedingthe threshold such that the access resource management entity may beadapted to derive information for the pre-reservation step; (4)information about bearers and/or services and/or preference information(e.g. related to subscription information) associated with thepotentially required AR such that the access resource management entitymay be adapted to derive more accurate information for thepre-reservation step.

15. The ARM 911 b performs the following functions: (a) determine therequired resources and the probability that these resources would beused and from this determine how much resources should be reserved; (b)check available resources; (c) pre-reserve resources; and (d) determinethe ratio of rejection. There is a benefit in pre-reserving resources inthat the pre-reservation reduces the probability of not having enoughresources available when a LC-establishment for the user network 902 a,902 b . . . 902 n is initiated and/or an AR is selected (for AS) for auser network 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n.

The ARM 911 b can perform step 15 by using information (e.g., containedin the AR2 report) about the potentially required AR where, for example,that information can be information about a potentially required bearerand/or potentially required service related to the potentially requiredAR. For instance, this additional information may be e.g. a bearerand/or service identifier such that the ARM 911 b can estimate thepotentially required access resources more precisely based on theidentifier and correlated (stored) resource information for eachindicated bearer and/or service or based on explicit required accessresource information like MBits/sec needed for a particular AR in acandidate or validated set. Alternatively, the additional informationmay be about a fraction of the potentially required access resourcesexceeding a threshold.

16. The ARM 911 b sends a report result back to the MRM entity 924. Inone example, the report can include information about the pre-reservedaccess resources, and information about an amount or a fraction of theuser networks 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n (including user terminals 902 a,902 b . . . 902 n) that are to be rejected.

17. The MRM entity 924 determines if and to what extent AR2 has to beblocked (rejected) in user network 902 a and then update the VS and/orCS accordingly.

18. The MRM entity 924 sends a confirm/remove message which indicatesthe results of step 17 to the MRM entity 914 located within the usernetwork 902 a.

19. The MRM entity 914 updates the VSs and CSs upon receiving theconfirm/remove message.

20. The MRM entity 914 and MRM entity 924 have access selectionsignaling to select resources associated with AR2 to populate ASs.Alternatively, if the access selection is supported by the accessnetwork MRRM 924 then the access selection signaling with the MRM entity924 is optional. It can also be that the access selection is only donein the UN 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n.

21. The MRM entity 914 sends an attach AR2 message to the GLL entity 916within the user network 902 a.

22. The GLL entity 916 and ARM 911 b both interact with one another toperform the attachment procedure and setup an access flow (e.g., seeFIGS. 3-5). The present invention which is associated with steps 12-18helps improve the success performance of this attachment procedure andaccess flow setup step.

23. The GLL entity 916 sends an AR2 attach message to the MRM entity914.

24. The MRM entity 914 and MRM entity 924 execute a handover process.

Note 1: Steps 12-18 are associated with method 1000 a while steps 1-11and 19-24 are existing technology.Note 2: in case of changes in resource availability/utilization of theAR, the ARM 911 b can notify the MRM entity 924 about a change of thissituation. Then, the MRM entity 924 for example could limit the amountof time the AR can be allowed in the VS/CS of the user networks 902 a,902 b . . . 902 n.Note 3: There are different options of realizing the MRM entity 924. Forinstance, there can be one centralized MRM entity 924 in the remotecommunications network 906. Or, the MRM functionality can be distributedin multiple MRM entities 924. Alternatively, the MRM entity 924 could beco-located/embedded with the ARMs 911 a, 911 b . . . 911 n.

Referring to FIG. 10B, there is a signal flow diagram which is used tohelp explain the steps of a method 1000 b for optimizing access in amulti-access network environment in accordance with a second embodimentof the present invention. The signal flow diagram has the followingsteps:

1. The ARM 911 b (for example) within the remote communications network906 sends an AR2 report (access resource report) to the GLL entity 916located within the user network 902 a (in this case a mobile terminal902 a).

2. The GLL entity 916 forwards the AR2 report to the MRM entity 914located within the user network 902 a.

3. The MRM entity 914 updates the DS set.

4. The MRM entity 914 sends an AR2 report to the policy function 930located within the user network 902 a.

5-6. The policy function 930 accesses the appropriate validate policiesand forwards the policy constraints to the MRM entity 914.

7-8. The MRM entity 914 based on the received policy constraints can banthe AR2 and send a ban AR2 signal to the GLL entity 916 (see step 7).Or, the MRM entity 914 based on the received policy constrains canpermit the AR2. In this case, the MRM entity 914 performs the following:(a) update VS; (b) check if AR2 is suitable for CSs and update CSsaccordingly; and (c) if CSs have changed, re-evaluate ASs accordingly.Then, the MRM entity 914 sends an AR2 report and matching VSs/CSs to theMRM entity 924 located within the remote communications network 906 (seestep 8).

9. The MRM entity 924 forwards the received AR2 report to a policyfunction 932 within the remote communications network 906.

10-11. The policy function 903 accesses the validate policies andforwards the policy constraints to the MRM entity 924.

12. The MRM entity 924 validates the number of user networks 902 a, 902b . . . 902 n with AR2 included or requested to be included within theVSs/CSs and updates the VSs/CSs accordingly.

13-14. The MRM entity 924 determines if the number of user networks 902a, 902 b . . . 902 n with AR2 included or requested to be includedwithin the VSs/CSs is larger than a threshold. If yes, then the MRMentity 924 determines the required resources and the probability thatthese resources would be used and from this determine how much resourcesshould be reserved. Then, the MRM entity 924 sends a resourcereservation request to the ARM 911 b. If not, then the MRM entity 924operates as normal.

The MRM entity 924 can perform steps 13-14 by using information (e.g.,contained in the AR2 report) about the potentially required AR where,for example, that information can be information about a potentiallyrequired bearer and/or potentially required service related to thepotentially required AR. For instance, this additional information maybe e.g. a bearer and/or service identifier such that the MRM entity 924can estimate the potentially required access resources more preciselybased on the identifier and correlated (stored) resource information foreach indicated bearer and/or service or based on explicit requiredaccess resource information like MBits/sec needed for a particular AR ina candidate or validated set. If desired, this additional informationmay be represented by a threshold. Moreover, the MRM entity 924 canreceive this information from a storage unit (see FIG. 12A) instead offrom the ARM 911 b. If, the MRM entity 924 receives this informationfrom the ARM 911 b then this information could be used to update thethreshold (e.g., on a regular basis, pre-defined time intervals, eventdriven).

15. The ARM 911 b upon receiving the resource reservation requestperforms the following functions: (a) check available resources; (c)pre-reserve resources; and (d) determine the ratio of rejection. Thereis a benefit in pre-reserving resources in that the pre-reservationreduces the probability of not having enough resources available when aLC-establishment for the user network 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n isinitiated and/or an AR is selected (for AS) for a user network 902 a,902 b . . . 902 n.

16. The ARM 911 b sends a report result back to the MRM entity 924. Inone example, the report can include information about the pre-reservedaccess resources, and information about an amount or a fraction of theuser networks 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n (including user terminals 902 a,902 b . . . 902 n) that are to be rejected.

17. The MRM entity 924 determines if and to what extent AR2 has to beblocked (rejected) in user network 902 a and then update the VS and/orCS accordingly.

18. The MRM entity 924 sends a confirm/remove message which indicatesthe results of step 17 to the MRM entity 914 located within the usernetwork 902 a.

19. The MRM entity 914 updates the VSs and CSs upon receiving theconfirm/remove message.

20. The MRM entity 914 and MRM entity 924 have access selectionsignaling to select resources associated with AR2 to populate ASs.Alternatively, if the access selection is supported by the accessnetwork MRRM 924 then the access selection signaling with the MRM entity924 is optional. It can also be that the access selection is only donein the UN 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n.

21. The MRM entity 914 sends an attach AR2 message to the GLL entity 916within the user network 902 a.

22. The GLL entity 916 and ARM 911 b both interact with one another toperform the attachment procedure and setup an access flow (e.g., seeFIGS. 3-5). The present invention which is associated with steps 12-18helps improve the success performance of this attachment procedure andaccess flow setup step.

23. The GLL entity 916 sends an AR2 attach message to the MRM entity914.

24. The MRM entity 914 and MRM entity 924 execute a handover process.

Note 1: Steps 12-18 are associated with method 1000 b while steps 1-11and 19-24 are existing technology.Note 2: in case of changes in resource availability/utilization of theAR, the ARM 911 b can notify the MRM entity 924 about a change of thissituation. Then, the MRM entity 924 for example could limit the amountof time the AR can be allowed in the VS/CS of the user networks 902 a,902 b . . . 902 n.Note 3: There are different options of realizing the MRM entity 924. Forinstance, there can be one centralized MRM entity 924 in the remotecommunications network 906. Or, the MRM functionality can be distributedin multiple MRM entities 924. Alternatively, the MRM entity 924 can beco-located/embedded with the ARMs 911 a, 911 b . . . 911 n.

The two methods 1000 a and 1000 b indicate that the ARM 911 a (forexample) knows about the usage of resources (load, availability) whilethe MRM entity 924 knows about what candidate ARs in the CS/VS are beingconsidered as access connections by the user networks 902 a, 902 b . . .902 n. Then, in method 1000 a the MRM entity 924 reports to the ARM 911b the number of user networks 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n that consider aparticular AR as a candidate for an access connection. Thereafter, theARM 911 b determines depending on their resource knowledge if and towhat extent this situation is feasible, and then sends a report back tothe MRM entity 924. In this scheme, the ARM 911 b has the major logicfor determining whether to block or admit this AR in the CSs/VSs of theuser networks 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n. While, in method 1000 b the MRMentity 924 sends a resource request to the ARM 911 b and then receives“resource information” in the form of a report from the ARM 911 b andthen determines if and how many user networks 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 nshould have the same AR in their CSs/VSs. In this scheme, the MRM entity924 has the major logic for determining whether to block or admit thisAR in the CSs/VSs of the user networks 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n. In bothschemes, the ARM 911 b (in method 1000 a) or the MRM entity 924 (inmethod 1000 b) needs to estimate the required resources based on thenumber of user networks 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n that are considering touse the same AR as a candidate for access connections. Exemplaryways/logic about how the ARM 911 b (and other ARMS 911 a . . . 911 n) orthe MRM entity 924 can estimate the required resources are as follows:

A. The ARM 911 b or MRM entity 924 could determine the estimatedresource requirements by using the amount of possibly required resourcesif the AF/AR in all of the VSs and/or CSs should in the future beselected by the access selection function. Different levels ofsophistication in this step are possible.

B. The ARM 911 b or MRM entity 924 could determine the estimatedresource requirements by determining a probability that the AF/AR in theVSs and/or CSs will be selected by an access selection function to beincluded in the ASs. Different levels of sophistication in this step arepossible, ranging from taking a fixed value (e.g., based on historicevents) up to and including the consideration of the metrics used inaccess selection.

C. The ARM 911 b or MRM entity 924 could determine the estimatedresource requirements that should be reserved from the amount ofpossibly required resources and the probability of these resourcesreally being used in future. Different levels of sophistication arepossible in this step.

D. The ARM 911 b or MRM entity 924 could determine the estimatedresource requirements by using a default value which can be e.g. basedon measurements from the past, or based on a pre-determined value. Plus,if an AR is element of a VS or CS this does not automatically imply thatan access flow for this AR will be established instead there is only anincreased probability that this will happen. Thus, the ARM 911 b or MRMentity 924 when determining the estimated resource requirements can takethis into account and apply a certain percentage to the originallyestimated resource requirement to come-up with the final estimatedrequired resources. If desired, the precision of estimation of requiredresources can be further improved in the following ways:

-   -   1. For requests to add the AR only in the VS but not in the CS,        then the ARM 911 b or MRM entity 924 can use a lower probability        percentage to determine the final estimated required resources.        The reason, if the AR is in the CS it is already actively        considered to be used for an ongoing data bearer. If the AR is        only in the VS, then the AR is only considered for the case that        a data bearer might become active.    -   2. For requests to add the AR to the CS then the data bearer        requirements of the CS can be used by the ARM 911 b or MRM        entity 924 to estimate more precisely the corresponding resource        requirements.    -   3. For each of the ARs in the CS a suitability value is        determined from different parameters which indicate how well        each AR is suited for service. For instance, if there are two        ARs in the CS which have a significantly higher suitability        value than another access resource, then it is not so likely        that this other access resource will be selected for the        service. The ARM 911 b or MRM entity 924 can use this        information to derive a probability percentage of the ARs being        selected, and the amount of estimated resources could depend on        this probability.

E. The MRM entity 924 with the help of ARM 911 a could determine therequired amount of resources and the probability that these resourcesare expected to be used and from that estimate how much resources shouldbe reserved as follows (see FIGS. 11A-11C):

Referring to FIGS. 11A-11C, there are several diagrams of an exemplaryMRRM 924 and an exemplary ARM 911 b which are used to help explainanother method for optimizing access in a multi-access networkenvironment in accordance with a third embodiment of the presentinvention. The steps are as follows:

1. The MRM entity 924 determines the number of user networks 902 a, 902b . . . 902 n and user sessions which have the relevant AR (or derivedLCs) in their VS or CS (e.g., see numeral “1” in FIG. 11A):

-   -   N—number of user networks 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n with an LC        based on the AR included in VS.    -   n—number of user networks 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n with the AR        included in VS.    -   M—number of user sessions with an LC based on the AR included in        CS.    -   m—number of users sessions with the AR included in CS.        Note 1: This step could also be modified such that the N and n        only consider the ARs (or derived LCs) that are in the VSs but        not at the same time in the corresponding CSs.        Note 2: This step could also be modified such that the M and m        only consider the ARs (or derived LCs) that are in the CSs but        not at the same time in the corresponding ASs.

2. The MRM entity 924 obtains weights w₁-w₄ (see numeral “2” in FIG.11A) and could determine the required resources R as follows, e.g.:

R=w ₁ ·N+w ₂ ·n+w ₃ ·M+w ₄ ·m

The weights w₁-w₄ for instance can be based on pre-determined values orthey can be derived from past experience/measurements as follows:

-   -   w₁=w₂=w₃=w₄ (no differentiation between CS, VS, AR and LC)    -   w₁=w₃>w₂=w₄ (LCs are stronger weight than ARs)    -   w₁=w₂<w₃=w₄ (CS is stronger weight than VS)    -   w₁=w₂<w₄<w₃ (CS for LCs have a stronger weight than for ARs, and        in total stronger weight than for VS)    -   w₂<=w₁ and w₄<=w₃ (LCs are stronger weight than ARs)    -   w₂<=w₁<=w₄<=w₃ (CS is stronger weight than VS and LCs are        stronger weight than ARs)

Plus, the relationship of the weights can depend on the following:

-   -   If the resources for LCs are already reserved, the weights w₁        and w₃ chosen could be smaller.    -   If the network attachment process to establish an LC from an AR        takes along time and/or is signaling intensive, then the weights        w₂ and w₄ chosen could be larger.

Alternatively, R can be calculated such that the ranking of the ARs/LCswithin the CS or VS is also considered. Every AR/LC in the CS/VS isassociated with a utility u, such that a high value of u indicates ahigh probability that the access is eventually going to be selected tobe in the AS, e.g.:

$R = {{w_{1} \cdot {\sum\limits_{{x\; 1} = 1}^{N}u_{{VS},{x\; 1}}}} + {w_{2} \cdot {\sum\limits_{{x\; 2} = 1}^{n}u_{{VS},{x\; 2}}}} + {w_{3} \cdot {\sum\limits_{{x\; 3} = 1}^{M}u_{{CS},{x\; 3}}}} + {w_{4} \cdot {\sum\limits_{{x\; 4} = 1}^{m}u_{{CS},{x\; 4}}}}}$

If desired, for access elements in the CS, the contribution to R can benormalized to the expected required resources r depending on the servicerequirement (data rate, delay, jitter, e.g. large for videoapplications, small for telephony) as follows, e.g.:

$R = {{w_{1} \cdot {\sum\limits_{{x\; 1} = 1}^{N}u_{{VS},{x\; 1}}}} + {w_{2} \cdot {\sum\limits_{{x\; 2} = 1}^{n}u_{{VS},{x\; 2}}}} + {w_{3} \cdot {\sum\limits_{{x\; 3} = 1}^{M}\left( {u_{{CS},{x\; 3}} \cdot r_{x\; 3}} \right)}} + {w_{4} \cdot {\sum\limits_{{x\; 4} = 1}^{m}\left( {u_{{CS},{x\; 4}} \cdot r_{x\; 3}} \right)}}}$

Furthermore, the contribution to R can be weighted according to thepreference value p of the particular user network 902 a (for example)which is part of the policy profile (e.g., depending on thesubscription, e.g., a gold subscriber would be preferred in the analysisand could get pre-reserved access resources in a preferred manner and/orcould get less access resources excluded by a blocking (limiting step)compared to a silver or bronze subscriber) as follows, e.g.:

$R = {{w_{1} \cdot {\sum\limits_{{x\; 1} = 1}^{N}{p_{x\; 1} \cdot u_{{VS},{x\; 1}}}}} + {w_{2} \cdot {\sum\limits_{{x\; 2} = 1}^{n}{p_{x\; 2} \cdot u_{{VS},{x\; 2}}}}} + {w_{3} \cdot {\sum\limits_{{x\; 3} = 1}^{M}\left( {p_{x\; 3} \cdot u_{{CS},{x\; 3}} \cdot r_{x\; 3}} \right)}} + {w_{4} \cdot {\sum\limits_{{x\; 4} = 1}^{m}\left( {p_{x\; 4} \cdot u_{{CS},{x\; 4}} \cdot r_{x\; 3}} \right)}}}$

3-4. The MRM entity 924 obtains a threshold “thresh” (see numeral “3” inFIG. 11A) and determines if R is larger than “thresh” and if yes then aresource reservation request R is sent to the corresponding ARM 911 b(see numeral “4” in FIG. 11A). The threshold Thresh is a constant.Alternatively, the Thresh can be adapted to the amount of resources thatare available for the AR. For instance, if few resources are left, thenthe Thresh would be decreased.

5-7. The ARM 911 b upon receiving the resource reservation request R(see numeral “5” in FIG. 11B) determines in view of the amount ofresources that remain available for that particular AR the amount ofresources that should be reserved and the amount of resources thatshould be rejected. Then, the ARM 911 b sends a confirmation report ofrejected and reserved resources back to the MRM entity 924 (see numerals“6” and “7” in FIG. 11B).

8-9. The MRM entity 924 upon receiving a rejection message (e.g., rejectresources v*R) functions to limit the usage of the AR in the CS and/orVS of the user networks 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n (see numerals “8” and“9” in FIG. 11C). The MRM entity 924 limits the AR in the CS and VS suchthat R′<=.ν*R, where R′ is a modified R in which the AR has been removedfrom some CS or VS. The process to determine from which CS and VS inuser networks 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n to remove the AR could depend on(for example):

-   -   The priority preference of the user networks 902 a, 902 b . . .        902 n as determined by a policy.    -   The size of the access sets CS and VS within the user networks        902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n. If a particular CS and VS are large,        i.e. a large number of alternatives exist, then these CS and VS        sets would be the ones that are preferably limited.

Referring to FIGS. 12A-12C, there are several diagrams of an exemplaryMRRM 924′ and an exemplary ARM 911 b′ which are used to help explain oneway that different components can be incorporated therein to implementthe method discussed with respect to FIGS. 11A-11C. FIG. 12A depicts anexemplary MRM entity 924′ (which corresponds with the MRM entity 924shown in FIG. 11A) that determines R and sends a resource reservationrequest R by using at least one receiving unit RU11 (which receives theaforementioned N, n, M. and m values), at least one receiving unit RU12(which receives the weights w₁-w₄), at least one receiving unit RU13(which receives Thresh), at least one processing unit PU11 (whichprocesses all of the received values), at least one transmission unitTU11 (which transmits the resource reservation request R), andpreferably at least one storage unit SU11 (which stores various valuesand program instructions). If desired, the units may be combined, e.g.multiple receiving units RU11-RU13 and transmitting unit TU11 may beimplemented within a single transmitter. Plus, the Thresh and/or theweights w₁-w₄ may alternatively be obtained from the storage SU11.

FIG. 12B depicts an exemplary ARM 911 b′ (which corresponds with the ARM911 b shown in FIG. 11B) that receives the resource reservation requestR and outputs the amount of resources that are reserved (reserveresources μ*R) and the amount of resources that are rejected (rejectresources v*R). The exemplary ARM 911 b′ does this by using at least onereceiving unit RU21 (which receives the resource reservation request R),at least one processing unit PU21 (which processes the resourcereservation request R), at least one transmission unit TU21 (whichtransmits the reserve resources μ*R), at least one transmission unit T22(which transmits the reject resources v*R) and preferably at least onestorage unit SU21. If desired, the units may be combined, e.g. thereceiving unit RU21 and multiple transmitting units TU21 and TU22 may beimplemented within a single transmitter.

FIG. 12C depicts an exemplary MRM entity 924′ (which corresponds withthe MRM entity 924 shown in FIG. 11C) that receives the reject resourcesv*R and outputs information associated with limiting the usage of the ARin the VS and/or CS of the user networks 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n. Theexemplary MRM entity 924′ does this by using at least one receiving unitRU31 (which receives the reject resources v*R), at least one processingunit PU31, at least one transmission unit TU31 (which outputsinformation associated with limiting the usage of the AR in usernetworks 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n), and preferably at least one storageunit SU31. If desired, the units may be combined, e.g. the receivingunit RU31 and transmitting unit TU31 may be implemented within a singletransmitter.

The present invention also concerns computer programs that includeportions of software codes that can be retrieved to enable theimplementation of anyone of the methods 1000 described herein whenoperated at a multi-resource managing entity like e.g. a MRM and anaccess resource managing entity like e.g. an ARM. The respectivecomputer programs can be stored on one or more computer readable media.The computer readable media can be a permanent or rewritable memorywithin the MRM entity 924, the ARM 911 a, 911 b . . . 911 n, or locatedexternally. The respective computer programs can be also transferred tothe MRM entity 924 and the ARM 911 a, 911 b . . . 911 n for example viaa cable or a wireless link as a sequence of signals.

The description herein uses the term MRRM which refers to a multi-radioresource management entity. This term is used on a common basis in thecontext of an wireless access environment. However, the presentinvention can also be used in a fixed access environment and not just ina wireless access environment. Therefore, although the term MRRM is usedin some the examples provided in the aforementioned description, theterm MRM alias Multi-Resource Management could have also been used toreflect that the present invention applies to wireless and/or fixedaccess environment. Thus, for pure wireless embodiments the term MRRM isstrictly correct and may be applied unchanged. But, for fixed accessembodiments with or without wireless access, the term MRM may be used.It is emphasized, that the examples provided herein could be easilyadapted to such fixed and/or wireless network access environments byreplacing the MRRM by MRM. Likewise, the term ARM is an example for anaccess resource managing entity which may manage wireless and/or fixedaccess resources. Whereas, the term RRM can be used to describe anaccess resource managing entity which manages only wireless accessresources.

From the foregoing, it should be appreciated that the present inventionrelates to a MRM entity 924 (or MRRM 924) that keeps a list of ARs whichare used in the VSs and/or CSs of different user networks 902 a, 902 b .. . 902 n. If a specific AR is in more than a certain number of VSs/CSsin the user networks 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n, then the MRM entity 924interacts with the corresponding ARM 911 b (for example) which managesthat particular AR to ask if sufficient resources of the AR areavailable to be used by this many user networks 902 a, 902 b . . . 902n. If no, then the MRM entity 924 limits the number of user networks 902a, 902 b . . . 902 n that may include the specific AR in their VSs/CSs.Thus, the present invention solves the aforementioned problem where toomany user networks 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n could monitor and try toaccess the same AR in a short time period which could lead to anoverload of the AR, a failure of the connection establishment, or afailure of the access selection procedure. Plus, the present inventionhas many other advantages some of which are as follows:

1. The present invention decreases the risk for accessselection/handover failure in multi-access networks by limiting thenumber of candidate users for a certain access resource and/or byreserving access resources for these candidate users.

2. The present invention enables energy efficient multi-accessmanagement for user networks 902 a, 902 b . . . 902 n that happen to bemobile terminals.

3. The present invention causes a low risk of failure when establishinga connection to an access resource as result of access selection.

The present invention in addition to the aforementioned multi-accessnetwork is applicable to different types of multi-access networkenvironments wherein for instance an access resource managing entity maybe embodied in a network intrinsic RRM and the MRRM may communicate withthe network intrinsic RRM via the GLL. In some applications, the networkintrinsic RRM (as examples for access resource managing entities) mayreside at an RNC or a WLAN access point. Basically, an intrinsic RRM isan access-specific RRM which is also often used in an AN. For moredetails about these different types of multi-access network environmentsreference is made to the aforementioned document “Ambient Networks,“Multi-Radio Access Architecture”, Project Deliverable D2-4, December2005.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have beenillustrated in the accompanying Drawings and described in the foregoingDetailed Description, it should be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed embodiments, but is also capable of numerousrearrangements, modifications and substitutions without departing fromthe scope of the invention as set forth and defined by the followingclaims.

1. A method of optimizing access in a multi-access network environment,wherein a multi-resource managing entity for managing access to at leastone access network performs the following steps: obtaining informationabout a required access resource of one of the at least one accessnetworks; determining that more than a certain number of user networksmay use the access resource to establish a connection with the oneaccess network; obtaining information indicating an availability of theaccess resource; and limiting a number of the user networks that mayaccess the access resource in view of the obtained availabilityinformation.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said information aboutthe required access resource comprises information about whether theaccess resource and a related access flow is part of a validated set ora candidate set in each of the user networks.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein said step of obtaining information indicating the availabilityof the access resource further comprises: sending a message indicating anumber of the user networks that may use the access resource to anaccess resource managing entity that is also associated with the oneaccess network, wherein the access resource managing entity determineshow much resources should be reserved by calculating a required amountof resources that are expected to be used by the user networks, checksavailability of the access resource, pre-reserves resources associatedwith the access resource, and sends a report containing availabilityinformation about the pre-reserved resources back to the multi-resourcemanaging entity.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step ofobtaining information indicating the availability of the access resourcefurther comprises: determining how much resources should be reserved bycalculating a required amount of resources that are expected to be usedby the user networks; and sending a reservation request messageindicating at least the required amount of resources to an accessresource managing entity that is also associated with the one accessnetwork, wherein the access resource managing entity checks availabilityof the access resource, pre-reserves resources associated with theaccess resource, and sends a report containing availability informationabout the pre-reserved resources back to the multi-resource managingentity.
 5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the calculatedrequired amount of resources is based on a probability that theseresources are expected to be used by the user networks.
 6. The methodaccording to claim 3, wherein the calculated required amount ofresources is based on at least one of a past measurement, apre-determined value, an estimated bearer requirement or weightedvalues.
 7. The method according to claim 3, wherein said report furthercontains availability information about a fraction of the user networksthat should be rejected.
 8. The method according to claim 3, whereinsaid access resource managing entity is embodied in a network intrinsicradio resource managing entity.
 9. A processing unit in a multi-resourcemanaging entity utilizing stored computer program instructions foroptimizing access in a multi-access network environment, the processingunit performing the instructions for: obtaining information about arequired access resource of one of the at least one access networks;determining that more than a certain number of user networks may use theaccess resource to establish a connection with the one access network;obtaining information indicating an availability of the access resource;and limiting a number of the user networks that may access the accessresource in view of the obtained availability information.
 10. Amulti-resource managing entity comprising: a processing unit; and astorage unit, where said processor obtains instructions from saidstorage unit and processes those instructions to enable the following:obtain information about a required access resource of one of the atleast one access networks; determine that more than a certain number ofuser networks may use the access resource to establish a connection withthe one access network; obtain information indicating an availability ofthe access resource; and limit a number of the user networks that mayaccess the access resource in view of the obtained availabilityinformation.
 11. The multi-resource managing entity of claim 10, whereinsaid information about the required access resource includes informationabout whether the access resource or a related access flow is part of avalidated set or a candidate set in each of the user networks. 12.(canceled)
 13. A method for optimizing access in a multi-access networkenvironment, wherein an access resource managing entity managing accessto at least one access resource performs the following steps: obtaininginformation from a multi-resource managing entity where said informationis related to a required access resource that may be used by one or moreuser networks; checking availability of the required access resource;and sending a report containing availability information back to themulti-resource managing entity.
 14. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising the step of pre-reserving resources associated with therequired access resource with the availability information comprisinginformation about the pre-reserved resources and information about thefraction of user networks that are to be rejected.
 15. The method ofclaim 13, wherein said obtained information includes a reservationrequest indicating at least a required amount of the access resource.16. The method of claim 13, wherein if said obtained informationincludes an indication of a number of user networks that may use theaccess resource then said access resource managing entity prior toperforming the checking step and the sending step performs a step ofdetermining how many resources are expected to be used by the usernetworks.
 17. A processing unit in an access resource managing entityutilizing stored computer program instructions for optimizing access ina multi-access network environment, the processing unit performing theinstructions for: obtaining information from a multi-resource managingentity where said information is related to a required access resourcethat may be used by one or more user networks; checking availability ofthe require access resource; and sending a report containingavailability information back to the multi-resource manacling entity.18. An access resource managing entity comprising: a processing unit;and a storage unit, where said processor obtains instructions from saidstorage unit and processes those instructions to enable the following:obtain information from a multi-resource managing entity where saidinformation is related to a potentially required access resource thatmay be used by one or more user networks; check availability of therequired access resource; and send a report containing availabilityinformation back to the multi-resource managing entity.
 19. The accessresource managing entity of claim 18, wherein said processor furtherenables pre-reserving resources associated with the required accessresource with the availability information comprising information aboutthe pre-reserved resources and information about the fraction of usernetworks that are to be rejected.
 20. The access resource managingentity of claim 18, wherein said processor prior to enabling the checkoperation and the send operation enables a determination of how manyresources are expected to be used by the user networks.